Posts Tagged ‘abuse of power’
Even Jim
I don’t know how obvious it comes across to those of you who regularly stop by my daily dose of “things and experiences” but it is generally my habit to avoid overtly naming targets of my discontent. That is primarily a result of my house of glass being particularly vulnerable to thrown stones. Not that I ever strive to completely conceal my true opinion, however.
I tend to avoid getting into a fray that involves two directly opposing views whose participants are unlikely to waver from each of their own stances. Few, if any, issues are clearly and precisely “either one or the other” due to the reality that inequality and the reserve energy stored within is naturally inclined to move toward equilibrium and a static state.
The world is much more a mixture than it is a stash of separated ingredients.
Still, there are people who want not to perceive it as a mixture. They find ways to cope with the hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance of their views in ways I struggle to comprehend.
In the United States of America, too many have allowed themselves to accept outlandish, bizarre manipulations of reality by Donald Trump and the mysterious cadre of sycophants who enable his narcissistic kleptocracy that is wreaking havoc on this nation.
For four years I have wondered who could stop this. Each protection woven into the threads of our democracy appeared to unravel as abuses were pressed into it. At one time in my life, I perceived impeachment as an incredibly significant event. These days, it seems like a discarded tissue after wiping a nose.
Now it has come to this. Even famously apolitical comedian Jim Gaffigan has thrown in the towel on appearing immune to the spectacle of destruction. He tweeted the f-word!
If Jim can take the risk to stand up against the idiocracy, I can, too.
People responded to Jim’s outburst, complaining that as a comedian, he shouldn’t be making a statement about politics. But the same people want a failed businessman who hosted a reality tv show where he fired people to be their political leader.
Some Trump supporters defend their choice as a quest for morality and law and order. How do they fail to see the dissonance between their goals and the person they elected to get them there? How’s that working for them? Do they believe any of the lies spoken by their President?
Enough is enough, I say. Too much, even.
I’m with Jim.
One responder to Jim’s tweeted rant commented, “…couldn’t disagree with you more. Wish you saw the truth.”
In the face of two such completely opposing views of what constitutes truth, me thinks someone is failing to mix all the ingredients.
Personally, I see Donald Trump as a blatant liar.
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Defend Democracy
For the record, lest there be any confusion over where *This* John W. Hays stands on the issue of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by the 45th President of the United States, I believe the facts presented and the behaviors of the accused in every moment since the issues of the July 25th phone call arose are obvious and self-evident by ordinary human reasoning.
The one glaring aspect that I fail to grasp is how, out of the 198 people in the House of Representatives and the 53 people in the Senate who align with the Republican party, none of them seem able to voice the slightest conviction toward holding the President accountable to any degree that comes close to matching the seriousness of his actions.
It doesn’t make sense to me.
I wish there was a more universal urgency by ALL elected officials to defend our democracy against any threat to the integrity of our elections.
It saddens me to see our national reputation being tarnished across the world. My intuition tells me that foreign nations most hostile to our country are giddy with delight over the instability being sewn into our political process by nefarious characters who seem to be getting away with things despite the world knowing full well something is going on.
What a shame that efforts to be positive and filled with hope are daily burdened by the negative weight of all this ugliness.
I look forward to the resolution of the current proceedings and cling to hope that intelligent, decent people will uphold their oaths to defend our constitution, regardless of their party affiliations.
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Relative Something 